Page 102 - Australian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2020

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BEST PRACTICE AWARDS
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
BEST COUNTRY REPAIRER
SIMMOS ACCIDENT REPAIR CENTRE, BYRON BAY NSW
THERE ARE SOME AMAZING COUNTRY REPAIRERS OUT THERE AND EACH ENTRY THIS YEAR WAS A GOOD ONE.
T
THERE WERE A COUPLE OF
standouts – Leven Smash Re-
pairs in Dubbo and Mudgee is really impressive, as is Killen’s Smash in Armidale – and any oth- er year they probably would have won. The judges spent a long time weighing up the merits of each business but it was Simmos Accident Repair Centre that took the crown. I’m sure manager Tony Dimmick will forgive me for saying that it wasn’t the most sophisticated of movies (you can find it on our YouTube channel) which just
proves that it’s content over production. The business was established in 1969 by Warren Simmons in a smaller location around the corner. The second generation is now at the helm in the shop of son An- drew who took over the business in 2017. Under his direction it has moved to the cur- rent purpose-built 1350m2 premises. It has recently gained Tesla approval and has an EV charging station. This, like the rest of the workshop is powered by solar – the
whole business is energy self-sufficient. There is a juxtaposition of the latest state of the art equipment with some
lovely personal touches – which we sus- pect maybe very ‘Byron Bay’.
There’s a large modern reception area with a cute ‘Welcome’ on the back wall with a smiley face and furniture made from cars. There’s also a Thrifty desk for customers’ convenience. The offices are modern too but still with quirky car furni- ture. The customer toilets are stylish too.
Upstairs there’s a large upstairs train- ing area for all the staff for I-Car training. The company has embraced the 5S sys- tem – so everything has a place and there’s a place for everything. The work- shop is tidy and clean.
There’s a 3D wheel aglinment system – with a really cute mural of Lightning McQueen on the wall in front. The busi- ness repairs vehicles for both the NSW ambulance and police departments as well as servicing local drivers. The lat- est Car-O-Liner EVO system is installed – as per Tesla demands. The shop uses iBodyshop and actually utilises the clocking on and off system.
The team is made up of Andrew, three paint technicians, five panel technicians,
two apprentices, two office staff, one esti- mator and manager Dimmick.
There is a stunning ocean mural/Byron Bay lighthouse mural on the wall separat- ing the highly equipped panel shop from the paint shop. The Lowbake crew are once again are the architects with two booths, two prep bays and an aluminium bay. Im- pressively, Simmos is also the proud owner of a Bosch recalibration system.
“With no dealerships in Byron Bay all our previous calibrations were towed across the border the Queensland,” Dim- mick says. The goal with the investment in the new facility is to bring on board more OEMs to compliment Tesla.
What impressed the judges was the the level of investment to future-proof the busi- ness. Solar power would be a must in eco- conscious Byron Bay where we suspect the locals will be the early adopters of electric vehicles. In-house wheel alignment and cal- ibration will really help to speed up produc- tion and minimise customer inconvenience.
A beautifully presented business with a bright future.
SPONSORED BY
ABOVE: Boring concrete wall? No way in Byron Bay. LEFT: Simmos has invested in the best.